Go Away, Spooky Monster
by bamboo72498
Summary: Monsters aren't real. 11x13 Post Ep, written from a Tumblr prompt.
**A/N: Written as a request for 'OKBones' on tumblr. Hope you like it!**

* * *

"You were right, mommy! There are no monsters, see?" Christine smiles.

"I'm always right," Brennan grins, wrapping her daughter in a hug again. "Come on, back to bed." She stands and swings Christine over the broken snow globe glass before closing the closet door behind her. When her daughter is once again under the covers, Brennan gives her another hug and kiss. "I love you, sweet girl."

"I love you too, mommy," Christine answers.

"Sweet dreams, baby," Booth says, following his wife, turning off the light as he goes. He pauses in the doorway, watching as Christine snuggles deeper into her covers, as she falls back asleep; not afraid of the monster in her closet.

Hours later, after the hockey post-game show ends, Booth turns off the TV and starts closing up their home for the night. He checks that all the doors are locked, and turns off lights as he goes, leaving a nightlight burning in the kitchen, like they always do.

Brennan had gone to bed before he did, but when his feet hit the threshold of their bedroom, she is nowhere to be found. The bathroom, closet, both are dark and empty.

Adrenaline starts to run in his body, his heart rate rising. Booth quickly turns from the room and heads down the hallway towards the kids bedrooms. It's dark, and the storm still raging outside doesn't help much.

But he's not scared.

Not of some stupid rainstorm.

Not of monsters hiding in dark corners.

And even _if_ he were, he has a gun. And what monster would want to compete with that?

Hank's room is dark and quiet, the infant sleeping peacefully in his crib.

And then he sees her: her body in silhouette perched on Christine's bed.

"Bones! What are you doing?" He whispers, coming closer. She turns at his voice, the glow from the lava lamp Christine uses as a nightlight casts a pink glow on her face.

"I was so scared," Brennan confides. "When her snow globe crashed and we came in here and she was just gone? I was so scared."

"Me too," Booth confesses, taking his wife's hand.

Petrified is more like it. Some deranged serial killer still out in the world? His daughter missing after a crash in her bedroom? Every possible horrid scenario his mind could conjure rose in the moment when they couldn't find Christine.

"I know it's irrational," Brennan continues, shaking her head. "Christine is fine." She lets out a watery laugh, tears in her eyes.

"It's not irrational," He tells her, using their joined hands to get her eyes to meet his. "You were worried something bad had happened to our daughter. Any parent would have though the exact same thing."

Brennan turns away, back to their baby girl, asleep in her bed; balled up on her side, one arm under her pillow, the other curled at her cheek.

The parents silently watch her for another moment, before Booth drops their still joined hands and goes to pull back Christine's blankets.

"What are you doing?" Brenna hisses, silently cursing her husband should he wake the kindergartener.

"They're sleeping in our bed tonight." Booth scoops Christine into his arms, the girl whining in her sleep and turning into the warmth of her father's body.

"Both of them?" Brennan asks, following Booth as her heads back out into the hall and to their room.

"Yeah," he grunts over the weight of their daughter. "Go get Hank." At her look, his body sags. "Come on, Bones! You know you want to." He waits her out, and finally she nods. "See. A family dogpile is exactly what the doctor ordered on a night like tonight."

"Actually, we were not instructed by a medical professional to allow our children to sleep in our bed tonight," Brenna counters, cocking her head.

"Just go get the baby," Booth hisses, continuing on. He shakes his head; sometimes his wife can be impossible.

No sooner than he had settled Christine into their bed, Brennan appears, Hank cradled in her arms, his blanket wrapped around his body.

"Will you take him, so I can change?" Brennan asks, handing the baby over. Booth takes him, lying down with Hank on his chest, and a minute later, Christine rolls over in her sleep and buries her face into his side.

After changing into pajamas, Brennan takes Hank back and gets into her side of the bed. She rolls on her side, setting Hank onto the mattress between her and his older sister.

The parents lock eyes over their two kids, and they share a smile.

How lucky they are to live this life. To have an amazing daughter who can count by two's and tie her shoes, and an equally amazing baby boy who recently started cruising along furniture. To have this beautiful home that keeps them warm and safe from storms and deranged serial killers alike. To have each other.

"You were right: this is just what the doctor ordered," Brennan whispers, reaching over the kid to run a hand on Booth's arm before taking his hand once again.

"I'm always right," Booth grins, repeating his wife's earlier statement.

As the storm continues to rage outside, a family dogpile keeps two little kids safe from the monsters hiding in dark corners, and keeps two parents minds from racing to horrible thoughts monsters hiding in dark corners could cause.

Seeley Booth falls asleep knowing, without a doubt, his family is warm and safe and tonight no monsters are going to get them.


End file.
